Glasgow Sutherlandshire Association

Overview

Sutherland is a county in the Highlands of Scotland. This society is a type of nineteenth-century county association. In the stricter sense, county associations were groups whose members (or whose parents) were former residents of counties across Scotland who had moved to Glasgow. This type of group incorporated elements of a benevolent society in that they could offer a combination of accommodation, advice, referrals, and general assistance to newcomers in the city when they arrived, while also offering aid to widows, unemployed members, or members undergoing financial hardship. In addition, they might offer to provide for the education of their members’ children, or money to support their higher education.

In Charles Sandford Terry’s A catalogue of the publications of Scottish historical and kindred clubs and societies, there is a list of publications produced by the Sutherland Association in Edinburgh, which was founded in 1866. The entry mentions the Glasgow association, which preceded it by nine years. The catalogue gives the Glasgow group’s object as ‘the study and preservation of the literature, history, and traditions of the county’.

This association also produced a manuscript magazine in 1899 (at least) that contains original papers written by society members. The group voted to have this put into print (see ‘Additional Notes’ below).

Date of Existence

1857-?

Source of Information

1. Glasgow Sutherlandshire Association, ‘Papers contributed to [the] Manuscript magazine: 12 January 1899’ (Glasgow: Archibald Sinclair, “Celtic Press”, 1899) (UGL, Library Research Annexe, Store 25964);

2. Terry, Charles Sanford, ‘Publication of the Sutherland Association, Edinburgh’, A catalogue of the publications of Scottish historical and kindred clubs and societies, and of the volumes relative to Scottish history issued by His Majesty’s Stationery Office, 1780-1908, with a subject index (Glasgow: James MacLehose and Sons, 1909), p. 193 (UGL, 5 copies, includes: History Bibliog DV300 1909-T 1780-1908; see also UGSC, Sp Coll MacLehose 472);

3. Glasgow Sutherlandshire Association, Sixty-Fifth Annual Reunion. Complimentary Dinner to Rev. Adam Gunn, M.A., D.D., Durness. Reprinted from the “John O’Groat Journal” of Friday, February 18, 1921 (Glasgow: 1921) (reprinted by Wentworth Press, 2016; see also digitised copy on us.archive.org)

Repository

University of Glasgow Library (UGL)

University of Glasgow Special Collections (UGSC)

Reference Number

(See Source of Information)

Additional Notes

See also entry for Papers Contributed to Manuscript Magazine on our sister website, Literary Bonds.